Ponderng Proverbs - Leadership

 

Just as we took a hiatus from pondering what Proverbs has to say about discipline, we are now going to take a break from meditating on what Proverbs teaches us about witnessing and turn our thoughts toward pondering the subject of leadership in the book of Proverbs. We will, the Lord willing, return to the subject of being faithful witnesses in the future – for Proverbs has much more to say to us regarding a life of witness.

 

“By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly.” Proverbs 8:15 – 16.

 

I’m using the term “leadership” in the context of those to whom authority has been granted, which is one reason we are looking at passages speaking of kings, rulers, princes, nobles, and judges. What does Proverbs teach us about being in authority? What should authority look like?

 

Of course authority should look like our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28 – see the entire passage please; also Philippians 2:1 – 11).

 

Whether we are leading a PTA, or a pickup basketball game, or a classroom, or government entity, or congregation, or Sunday school, or homeowners’ association, or small business…well, you get the idea; whether we have been given an ounce or a pound or a ton of authority we are to look like Jesus, serving those around us and being subject to Authority (see Matthew 8:1 – 13 with an emphasis on 8:9!).

 

Position and authority can either go to our heads or humble us; I’m not sure that it can humble us until it has gone to our head at least once and hopefully scared us to death – that is, I’m not sure than we can be humbled until our pride and ego have made their ugly appearance at least once and frightened us with the temptation of intoxication. Once we have been bitten by that “third rail” we will have hopefully learned our lesson and will live at the foot of the Cross.

 

But here we are in Proverbs 8:15 - 16, “By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly.”

 

Who is speaking in these verses?

 

The only way we can answer this question is to live in Proverbs Chapter 8; to read it, to meditate in it and on it, to ponder it – and then to read it again, and again, and again. I can no more explain Proverbs Chapter 8 to you than I can fly you to Jupiter for lunch and back on the same day. Maybe I can help us touch Proverbs 8, I don’t know; what I can do, by God’s grace, is to point you to Christ…that is all that I can do. Maybe Dante could do it, maybe Tolkien could do it…maybe…and if they could do it, it would be because they have sustainability within them…the wherewithal to take us on a sustained journey to a heavenly goal, a quest fulfilled…they have Hebrews Chapter 11 living within their breasts…a rare thing indeed in our days of the ephemeral. They have the numinous in our age of the vulgar…in our age of the “Christian” vulgar.

 

Athanasius and the Cappadocians and others can help, those who speak the Creed of Nicaea can help…O but we will have to search for them. Wide is the gate of the promiscuous, narrow that of the faithful.

 

What might we say of Psalm 78:1 – 3?

 

“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.” (See Matthew 13:35).

 

What we tend to say is that we don’t have time for such nonsense. We don’t have the time, nor the inclination, nor the attention span. If it can’t be dispensed through a drive-thru devotional, or thought for the day, or pithy and entertaining sermon – if it can’t be distilled into a bumper sticker…then forget it.

 

And I’m saying that the only way to know Proverbs Chapter 8 is to live in Proverbs Chapter 8, just as I would say that the only way to know John chapters 13 – 17 is to live in John chapters 13 – 17. I can no more explain John Chapter 17 than I can explain Proverbs 8…but I’ll tell you this…if we will live in them then we will touch the Trinity and we will be able to say with the Apostle John:

 

“…what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have koinonia with us; and indeed our koinonia is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

 

We’ll continue with Proverbs 8 in our next reflection.

 

The inside is larger than the outside.